Disclaimer: I own nothing L.J. Smith
related.
Note: There will be only one or two more chapters after this one. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far.
The Shadow Men stood in little clumps all
over the room. They did not sulk in the
shadows at the edges of the room as they had when the game had just begun. Then they had not been sure as to how the
outcome would come out. They had been
wary, careful to make sure that they saw who was to win first before choosing
their side. Now, they stood all over
the room, waiting for the game to end. Their king's victory seemed inevitable.
Whispers passed through
the groups, reaching others and growing in volume. They were excited. Julian
was on his way back to the Shadow World with Alyx. The game would be won and then Ezra would leave Julian and Jenny
to them. To play with.
They all felt famished.
Ezra slouched in his
chair in the middle of the room. Every
where he looked, Shadow Men stood around him, grinning at him like stupid
dogs. They were so happy that he was to
win the game. But, what did Ezra feel
about winning the game? Discontent. He knew that he
should be happy. After all, Alyx was
what he wanted and it seemed that he would be getting her soon. But, why then did he feel as if even after
the game was over with, he would still not be truly satisfied?
He had never intended to
let Jenny go. He wanted to punish her
for taking Julian's attention away from the Shadow Men all those years
ago. Ezra wanted to make her pay. But, he always played a game by its
rules. He had told Julian that if he
brought Alyx to the Shadow World then Jenny could go free. But, Ezra thought, he mouth curling into a
tight smile, who knows what dangers would befall Jenny on the way to the door
to her world?
Even over that, Ezra did
not feel truly happy. Sure, he will be
able to deal with Julian as he wanted to. Would he torture him some more or simply cut him out of existence yet again? But, even that held low appeal at that
moment. After he was done with Julian,
the game would be over with and done. And then what would he have to do for fun?
…………………………………………………….
Jenny sat on the ground,
her knees pulled up to her chest and her eyes shut tight. Oh God, she thought. Please leave me alone.
Were they there? Was that voice, that horrid, mocking voice
still out there in the darkness that surrounded her in her own little
prison?
She prayed that it would
go away and leave her alone. Jenny had
no idea where she was, except for the fact that she was back in the Shadow
World. A sliver of dread shot down her
spine as she realized for the millionth time as to where she was. The Shadow World. Her first thought on realizing where she was had been, oh God not
again. And she had sunk to the cold
dirt floor, fearing that this time, this time she would not make it out.
Jenny gritted her teeth
and tried to make sense of everything. She had thought that this was Julian's doing. That he had wanted to play another game with her. But, the voice that she heard in this room
was not his. No, it was a bit deeper,
more menacing. Someone else kept her
prisoner here in the Shadow World. But
who? And if someone else was keeping
her prisoner, where was Julian?
…………………………………………….
Julian stood at the very
edge of the Shadow World, just inside the doorway to the other world. Alyx lay in his arms, unconscious. It had been easier to bring her that
way. He had been afraid that she would
have screamed, that she would have fought him against coming to this awful
place. He couldn't imagine what he
would have done if she had. It was hard
enough bringing her here in the first place. Seeing her fight to get away would just be too much.
And he had to bring
her. There was no other way. The entire journey back to the Shadow World
he had wracked his brain, trying to come up with some way to leave Alyx out of
this. If he had been the ruler of the
Shadow Men still………well, he would have had enough power to simply fight Ezra
for Jenny. But, he was not the ruler,
Ezra was. And Ezra had every Shadow Man
on his side. But, that wouldn't stop
Julian from still trying. It was still
a game and he still had to try. So much
depended on it.
Of course, he was not
exactly powerless. There were a few
things that he could still do. Things,
Julian thought, that Ezra has never even thought of and has not planned for.
Slowly, Julian bent down
to his knees, careful not to drop Alyx. Her hair cascaded down his arm and fell into the open air as he moved,
but the rest of her body did not move. Unconsciousness, he knew, had most likely been her savior up to
that point.
He laid her down on the
ground and brushed a couple of strands of hair out of her face. He didn't truly want to leave her there, but
he had to. There was something that he
had to do before going to face Ezra. And he could not take Alyx with him as he did it. She had to stay where she was, just inside
the doorway, hidden from the other Shadow Men.
Julian bent even more,
laying his hands on the cold floor on either side of her body. Wisps of his own hair fell in his face, but
he ignored them. His lips were next to
her ear and he whispered, "I will be back. I shall not leave you here. I
promise you."
And then he was gone.
……………………………………………..
Jenny shivered against the cold of the room, wishing that she were anywhere but there. She wrapped her arms around herself and looked out into the darkness of the room yet again. Straining her eyes, she peered into the darkness, trying to see something, anything. But, she could not see at all. The darkness was too thick.
She shifted her position
on the floor a bit and then leaned her head back against the rock wall behind
her and closed her eyes. It was so
disconcerting to not be able to see anything at all, even when her eyes were
open. It allowed fear to grow within
her, not knowing what was out there in the darkness of the room. But, when her eyes were closed, she felt a
bit better. If they were closed, she
could not feel the danger in the darkness so much because she had made the
darkness by closing her eyes. Opening
her eyes would only allow her to be enveloped by another, more dangerous
darkness.
"Julian," she whispered,
and then wondered why she had. She
still did not know where he fit into this whole mess. His was not the voice she had heard earlier in her prison. But, was he still part of the game that she
seemed to be tangled up in?
Then again, it stood to
reason that if he were playing another game with her, it would be to win her
over like it had been before. And then,
wouldn't he protect her from the other Shadow Men? So, where was he?
It seemed strange that
the Shadow Men, who had had no problem taking Julian out of existence before,
now brought him back to finish his game with her. Especially, when he had given his own life to protect her in the
end. They would not want to give Julian
what he wanted, but surely they were not toying with him too. And why not, Jenny asked herself. That is what they do. They toy with people.
She shook her head,
trying to clear all thoughts of Julian out of it. It was all so confusing to her. Something about Julian's involvement didn't feel right to her, but then
again, he was a Shadow Man. Could she
possibly trust him?
Jenny opened her eyes
again and stared out into the darkness. She felt so uneasy, sitting there not being able to see anything at
all. She remembered how much Julian had
loved light. He had called her a 'light
to his darkness'. And, at that moment,
Jenny realized what it must like to always live in the darkness as this. To never have light, but to crave it like a
human craves water in a desert. And she
understood the power that light had over the Shadow Men and why they seemed ready
to do anything to capture it. Jenny,
herself, craved light as she sat on the cold dirt floor of her prison. She wanted light more than anything. Light to see by, to give her answers to the
questions that had been burning in her mind since she had been trapped in the
room. Was she alone? Was there some way out of there?
As if someone had heard
her thoughts, a small flame struck up out of nowhere and settled down just a
few feet in front of her. She looked at
it, her eyes wide at seeing it before her.
It was a candle; she
could see the wax now. It slipped down
the sides of the candle and came to pool on the dirt floor in front of
her. She stared at it, watching the red
and yellow flame dance in the darkness around it. Where did it come from, she wondered. It wasn't here just minutes ago.
Her eyes lifted off of
the candle and her breath caught in her throat. She froze, afraid to speak. She hadn't seen him at all before and she had no idea how long he had
been there, but he was there all the same.
He was standing right
behind the candle, it's light playing off of his white-blond hair. He was dressed in all black- black boots,
black jeans, black t-shirt and long black leather jacket. And he was staring down at her; simply
watching her. The hard look in his eyes
made Jenny's heart pound with fear.
She returned Julian's
gaze with a timid one of her own; afraid of what would happen next. Please, she prayed silently, just let it be
over soon.
………………………………….
She looked so small and
innocent where she sat curled up on the floor. Julian had the overwhelming urge to scoop her up in his arms and carry
her to the doorway to her world. He
could make it without Ezra's knowledge, he knew. As it was, Ezra did not even know that Julian was there with
Jenny. But, if he escaped through the
doorway to Jenny's world with her and Alyx, then he would always be on the
run. The Shadow Men did not ever stop a
game in the middle of it. He would be
hunted until the game was finished. And, inevitably, Jenny and Alyx would be hurt even more than they had
been already. No, he had to stay and
finish the quest that had been set before him.
But, as he stared down at
Jenny and saw first the awe in her eyes as she looked at the light in front of
her and then the fear as her eyes rested upon him, Julian knew that he would do
everything in his power to kill Ezra once and for all. This was the last game he would play and at
the end, Julian hoped that Ezra would be the loser.
His face hardened as he
saw how much pain this new game had caused Jenny. She looked so scared, so unlike the Jenny he had known years
before. It was almost as if he were
looking at a totally different person. Who was this person before him, he wondered. She was a shell of the old Jenny. And Julian knew that if Jenny were to survive this game, she
would have to find at least a small bit of the old Jenny within herself. He needed her to be strong as she had been
before.
Julian's gaze swept away
from Jenny's face for just a moment and then he looked back. There was only one way that he could help
her at this point. And then the rest
was up to her.
With a wave of his hand,
the candle moved over a couple of feet to the right, giving Julian ample
room. His eyes still on Jenny, he
dropped to one knee in front of her.
"Jenny," he said, feeling
the warmth in his belly as he always did when he said her name. "I don't have much time. He'll know where I am soon. I…..I have something to give you, though."
Julian reached out his
right hand slowly towards her. He tried
to ignore how she seemed to shrink away from his hand as it came closer to
her. "Trust me," he whispered and then
his hand settled on her cheek.
Slowly, the tip of his
index finger traced a small circle where it lay on her skin. He felt her relax a bit and he took that as
an invitation. His other hand came up
quickly to cup her other cheek and she gasped, knowing that she was in his
control.
"Relax," he whispered,
his icy blue eyes staring deep into her own brown ones.
It was killing him to be
so close to her, to touch her like he was. In the back of his mind, Julian knew that he had to go, that Ezra would
be expecting him. But, he could not
simply leave Jenny with so much fright within her. He could feel it pulsing under her skin and it made him feel so
much shame. If he had not lured her to
the Shadow World years ago, then none of this would have happened. If he had not………
No time for that now,
Julian told himself.
But, he could not help
noticing how still Jenny sat, staring at him. Or how soft her skin was under his hands.
Ever so slowly, Julian
bent towards her, his face coming closer to her own. "Trust me," he whispered again. It's all to help her, he thought as his lips touched her own.
Julian heard Jenny gasp, her body freezing in fear. And then she relaxed, as he kissed her, allowing warmth from himself to seep slowly into her. Yes, there were a few things that he could do still that even Ezra was not aware of.
It felt so good to Julian
to be kissing Jenny as he had always wanted to. His tongue touched her top bottom lip in question and she opened
her lips, allowing him to deepen the kiss even more. It seemed as if everything- Ezra, the quest, Alyx- it was all
just slipping away. As long as he could
simply sit there and kiss Jenny, it was all gone. A part of his mind wanted to forget all about that stuff, to
leave it aside and stay with Jenny forever this way. But, Julian knew he couldn't. Ezra was expecting him.
He could feel the fear
draining out of Jenny slowly, but still, she did not move other than to return
his kiss. Her hands sat motionless in
her lap. That did not matter to Julian,
though. All that mattered was the
little hint of the old Jenny that he was getting.
Slowly, very much wishing
he did not have to, Julian pulled away from Jenny. He sat back on his heels and smiled as he watched her look at him
dazedly. She had no idea what had just
happened, he knew. But, he thought as
he remembered their kiss deepening, she had enjoyed it just as much as he had.
"Julian…," she started,
staring at him with look of awe mixed with surprise.
"Shhh…," he whispered,
cutting her off. "There isn't
time. I must go."
A troubled look came into
Jenny's eyes. "But," Julian continued
before she could say anything else, "I will be back to get you. I promise I will get you out of here. You have my word."
He could see the
confusion in her eyes as she tried to comprehend what was happening. She had no idea who Ezra was or what game
they were playing, Julian knew. He
sympathized with the fact that she really did not know what was going on at
all. But, he thought, would it be
easier if she did? No, it would
probably be even harder in that case.
He stood quickly, before
his mind could talk him out of leaving. He could feel the cool of the darkness away from the candle and he
wished with all his might that he did not have to leave her there.
'Trust me," he said,
taking a step back out of the candle light. And then he was gone.
…………………………………………..
It had all happened so
fast that Jenny didn't even know truly what had happened. Had Julian really been there? Had she really kissed him, forgetting the
fact that he might, in some way, be responsible for her being in the Shadow
World?
She shook her head and
glanced at the candle, it's flame seeming to hypnotize her. She stared at the blue fire at the very core
of the flame and she wondered just what it was that had happened just minutes
before.
He had said to trust
him. But, could she really do
that? Was this another one of his
games? What if, her mind asked, if he
is using me? Would he do that?
It was so easy to think
that the Julian she had just seen was too compassionate to hurt her. But, Jenny had dealt with Shadow Men before
and she knew that they could not be trusted. Was Julian the same? Had he not
given his own life for her before?
She did not feel scared
now. All she wanted was out. She wanted to go back to her own life and
forget all about the Shadow World and the voice in the darkness. But, what about Julian? She had never truly forgotten him before and
now…….Jenny doubted very much that she could ever forget him now.
She kept staring into the
candle's flame, allowing her body to relax. Whether Julian was using her or not, she needed to be ready for whatever
was going to happen next. Jenny sighed,
thinking that as much as she wished this was not one of Julian's lies, it sure
looked like it could be one.
And then, as she stared
at the flame, another thought crossed her mind. He had brought her a gift. The candlelight danced on the wick before her. He had brought her the light that she had craved.
……………………………………………..
"Where's the girl?" Ezra asked as Julian cut through the groups
of Shadow Men and came to a stop in front of Ezra's throne.
"She's here," Julian
replied briefly, his eyes cold on Ezra. Yes, he would make him pay for every little ounce of pain that Jenny had
felt.
Ezra stood, a cocky grin
on his face. Oh, how he was loving
this. The power over Julian was
amazing. It ran through his veins,
making him feel a bit drunk on it.
Lazily, Ezra circled
Julian, looking around exaggeratingly, as if trying to spot the missing
girl. He finished his circle and came
to stand right in front of Julian. They
were the same height and both stared hard at each other as if willing the other
one to make the first move.
"I don't see her,
Julian," Ezra said darkly, and the groups of Shadow Men tittered with laughter.
Ezra raised his hand
briefly and the laughter quickly subsided. He stared hard at Julian, waiting for the young Shadow Man to explain
Alyx's absence. Where was she? He had been very explicit about his
directions. Julian was to bring Alyx to
the Shadow World. Surely, Julian would
not risk his precious Jenny's life by not bringing Alyx with him.
"Let me have Jenny
first," Julian said without even blinking, "And you shall have Alyx."
Ezra raised an eyebrow
and then laughed. "Let you have Jenny
first," he repeated and then laughed again. "Oh yes, Julian, you would like to get Jenny back, would you not?"
Ezra turned away from
Julian as if dismissing him and walked back to his throne. He sat down slowly, his gaze returning to
Julian. Anger seethed through
Ezra. Who did Julian think he was? Did he not know that Ezra had so much more
power than him? Did he not know that
Ezra could kill Jenny with a simple snap of his fingers? All he had to do was give the word and the
Shadow Men would take care of Jenny before Julian would even know to protest.
"The conditions of the
game were that you would bring Alyx to me and I would let Jenny go."
Ezra smiled, knowing that
he held the upper hand now. "Of course,
I never did say that I would give Jenny to you. I simply said I would allow her to go back to the mortal world."
He looked around him as
if contemplating exactly what that meant. "And who knows what kind of dangers lurk in the shadows on the way to
the door back to her world?" Ezra
caught Julian's face harden out of the corner of his eye and he looked back at
the other Shadow Man. He could see Julian's
hands clenching and unclenching into fists at his sides.
Exactly how angry can I
make him, Ezra wondered. "Since you
have not brought Alyx to me, I have won. The game is over."
The Shadow Men cheered,
happy to see that their king had won the game. They had been so sure that he would. Together as one, they surged forward, knowing that they now controlled
Julian. Ezra was sure to give him to
them. He had said he would.
"And," Ezra said, smiling
sweetly at Julian, "Jenny is mine."
The Shadow Men grabbed
hold of Julian's arms and he gasped. He
fought them, trying to get away. How
could he have been so stupid? He had
left Alyx by the doorway, hoping to keep her hidden to he at least had Jenny
back. Julian had never even thought of
how Ezra had never said that Jenny would be given back to him. And he had walked right into the trap,
unknowing of it all. So stupid, he
thought.
Someone pulled on his
hair and his head snapped back. Hands
grabbed his shoulders and legs, pulling on him from every direction it
seemed. His balance was lost and Julian
fell, landing hard on the floor. But,
still he fought for his freedom.
Famished,
the Shadow Men chanted as they crowded in to get a hold on him. Famished.
It was impossible. There were too many of them. There was no way that he could possibly
fight them all off. Julian could feel
himself start to give up as he realized that there was no way he could win
against all of them.
Someone grabbed at his
neck and squeezed it tightly.
"Wait," he croaked,
trying to pry the fingers off his neck. "Another game…..," he said, feeling the fingers around his neck tighten.
The Shadow Men
froze. Had they heard right? He wanted to play another game after he had
already lost?
Julian waited, hoping
that his words would buy him time. He
was not trying to save himself. No, he
would not do that by any means. But,
there was Jenny and Alyx to think about. He didn't even want to think about what would happen to them if the
Shadow Men were to kill him. There
would be no one left to protect them.
He looked up into the sea
of Shadow Men faces above him. They
were whispering to each other, mulling over the prospect of a new game. Their tan skin was held tightly across their
bones. He had once almost accepted the
fact that someday he would look like them. But, now he found them grotesque creatures. Revulsion rose in his throat as he saw their disfigured faces
looming over him. Why were they just
standing there? Why weren't they moving? Surely, they had heard his words. Either they would want the new game or they
would kill him. He just wished them
would do whatever they were going to do soon.
"Get out of my way,
fools!" He heard someone yell and he
recognized Ezra's voice.
The sea of Shadow Men
parted, allowing Julian a view of Ezra striding forward quickly to where he lay
pinned down by hands. The look on
Ezra's face was one of interest. Curiosity was a dangerous thing, Julian knew. To a Shadow Man, it could be downright deadly.
"What new game?" Ezra demanded as he came to a stop next to
Julian. He looked down at Julian on the
ground, a look of uncertainty in his eyes. His eyes narrowed as he waited for Julian's answer.
Julian struggled to sit
up, but the Shadow Men held him down. Ah, so that was how it would be, he thought. They would hold him down until Ezra decided his fate. His only hope in saving Jenny and Alyx now
was his next words.
"Let us play another
game," he started, being sure to pick his words carefully. "This time we play for Jenny's return to
me and……," Julian paused, trying to decide if he really wanted to go as far
as he was about to. Jenny, he thought
and he remembered their kiss in her prison. He remembered how she had looked so frightened in her bedroom and how
that look had changed to one of wonder when she had seen him. Yes, he needed to do it. Even if she never forgave him, he needed to
be there. For Jenny.
His eyes met Ezra's black
ones and he thrust his chin up in defiance. "And my own mortality."
Ezra looked taken aback
and then he threw back his head and laughed. "You want to be mortal? Whatever for?" He asked.
Julian narrowed his eyes
and he felt the red hot anger rip through his stomach. Ezra knew exactly what for. He knew exactly why Julian would do anything
in his power to win this particular game. Julian again tried to get free, to get to Ezra and tear him limb from
limb, but strong hands held him down still.
"Ah," Ezra said, cocking
his head to one side and looking down at Julian again. "The fair Jenny. It always comes down to her, doesn't it?"
Ezra turned on his heel
and walked away. His footsteps echoed
across the room as his boots hit the floor. Everyone else in the room was silent. The Shadow Men and Julian were waiting, wondering what Ezra would
decide. Would the king of the Shadow
Men decide to play another game? Would
he want to play against his foe again?
"Release him," Ezra said
over his shoulder and Julian felt the hands on him relax their grip. He stood quickly, noting the Shadow Men pull
back away from him as he did.
Ezra turned and looked
right at Julian. He could not figure
out what the other Shadow Man was up to. Every ounce of his being told him that this was a trick, that he should
not accept the new game. But, what was
he if he was not a Shadow Man who loved games? There was nothing else for him.
And perhaps, Ezra thought,
this is the thrill that I needed. He
would pick the game. And he would make
sure it was one he could not lose. Seeing Julian lose not once but twice would be just too perfect for
Ezra. Perhaps it would allow Ezra to
feel more content when he allowed the other Shadow Men to take Jenny and
Julian. Yes, he would make sure there
was no way that he could lose.
"I choose the game," Ezra
stated. It wasn't something that Julian
could argue at all. Everyone in that
room knew that if Julian even tried to disagree with Ezra, Ezra would simply
throw him to the Shadow Men.
Julian nodded. There was nothing else he could do.
Ezra smiled. "Fine then," he said and snapped his
fingers.
A door on the far side of
the room opened and Jenny stumbled in, followed closely by two Shadow Men.
"The game is this: you
must convince Jenny to come to you. She
must take your hand for you to win. If
this is done, then you can have her."
Julian didn't even glance
at Ezra. He simply stared at the girl
coming across the room. She was still
too far away to hear Ezra's plan and Julian was glad for that. But, most of him was angry- angry with Ezra
for using Jenny in the new game. Damn
him, Julian thought, feeling his eyes narrow and the anger grow in his stomach.
"And my mortality?" he asked through gritted teeth.
Ezra nodded, his eyes on
Jenny as well. "Yes, if you win, you
may have your precious mortality. But
Julian," he added, "I don't intent to let you win."
Okay, like I said
earlier, there will only be one or two more chapters to this fic. So, what did you think of this chapter? Review please.
